Netherlands falling behind in renewable energy

[The Lawspeaker]

Netherlands falling behind in renewable energy

The Netherlands has fallen two places on the ‘All renewables index’ published annually by professional services firm Ernst & Young. China is still in first place as a result of its continued investments in wind and solar energy.

The United States is in second place thanks to President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus policies, but installed less than a third of the total number of megawatts of wind power than China did. Germany and India are in third and fourth place respectively.

The Netherlands dropped from 16th to 18th place, mainly because it scrapped government subsidies and other stimulus measures.

Most European countries have made cuts to their renewable energy stimulus measures, including France and Spain, but these two countries nevertheless were able to hang on to their seventh and eighth places on the Ernst & Young index.

Germany and Italy have also been forced to cut back, but still scored quite well in terms of investments in solar energy. Globally, there was substantial growth in investments in wind farms at sea. Solar energy also showed substantial growth, while biomass remained at its 2009 level.

Source: Radio Netherlands Worldwide (http://www.rnw.nl/africa/bulletin/netherlands-falling-behind-renewable-energy) (2 March 2011)

[Crossbow]

Nuclear energy is in sight again after a long absence, and the Energy Resource Holding (ERH) has already launched the application process for a new nuclear plant (http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Application_launch_doubles_Dutch_new-build_plans-0709107.html) in Borssele, and its construction is planned to begin in 2015.
Nevertheless, the nuclear waste problem hasn't been solved yet in a satisfactory way I think.

[The Lawspeaker]

Well.. we do need to replace the one at Petten (for research purposes and isotopes) but I am not convinced whether we should opt for that new plant at Borsele. I wonder whether it would be better to use a resource that we don't need to import and that does not give us a waste problem. Wouldn't it be better to look into renewable energy sources a bit more thoroughly ?

[poiuytrewq0987]

I can't believe governments are installing wind energy. They're stupid, unreliable and doesn't even produce that much energy.

[The Lawspeaker]

I can't believe governments are installing wind energy. They're stupid, unreliable and doesn't even produce that much energy.
Do you believe everything that FOX says ? And there is more then wind energ: tidal energy, osmotic power, solar energy etc. And btw: wind power on land is (in most places in this country) useless. Better put it out at sea.

[poiuytrewq0987]

Do you believe everything that FOX says ? And there is more then wind energ: tidal energy, osmotic power, solar energy etc. And btw: wind power on land is (in most places in this country) useless. Better put it out at sea.


I don't watch FOX. And there are better renewable energy options.

[The Lawspeaker]

I don't watch FOX. And there are better renewable energy options.
Well yes. And nuclear is not amongst them as it will yet again make us dependent on imports.

[poiuytrewq0987]

Well yes. And nuclear is not amongst them as it will yet again make us dependent on imports.


Nuclear energy is only viable because it produces the most energy out of all options. There are options of solar, wind, hydro... yes but none of them produce as much energy as nuclear does.

[The Lawspeaker]

Nuclear energy is only viable because it produces the most energy out of all options. There are options of solar, wind, hydro... yes but none of them produce as much energy as nuclear does.
Yes the thing is we have to import the uranium. And we would yet against make ourselves depending on others. Thanks but no thanks.

[poiuytrewq0987]

Yes the thing is we have to import the uranium. And we would yet against make ourselves depending on others. Thanks but no thanks.

A small country like the Netherlands obviously doesn't have the resources for such endeavor. Options like coal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal-fired_power_station), hydro (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_turbine)and maybe geothermal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_power)are more viable to your country since such resources are easily accessible.

[The Lawspeaker]

A small country like the Netherlands obviously doesn't have the resources for such endeavor. Options like coal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal-fired_power_station), hydro (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_turbine)and maybe geothermal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_power)are more viable to your country since such resources are easily accessible.
Nope to each one of them. Coal is a terrible pollutant and we don't have the resources for hydro and geothermal energy. So: remains osmotic power, tidal energy, bio, wind and solar. And that in combination with some imported power from Norway.

[poiuytrewq0987]

Nope to each one of them. Coal is a terrible pollutant and we don't have the resources for hydro and geothermal energy. So: remains osmotic power, tidal energy, bio, wind and solar. And that in combination with some imported power from Norway.


Just man up and import energy from Germany. :coffee:

[The Lawspeaker]

Just man up and import energy from Germany. :coffee:
No thanks. Why be dependent on others ? That's the stuff that causes wars. Look at America: so heavily dependent on oil that they would invade Hell for it.

Look at Europe: OPEC shut the tap on several countries, including the Netherlands, in 1973: it crashed our economy. Thanks but no thanks.

[poiuytrewq0987]

No thanks. Why be dependent on others ? That's the stuff that causes wars. Look at America: so heavily dependent on oil that they would invade Hell for it.

Look at Europe: OPEC shut the tap on several countries, including the Netherlands, in 1973: it crashed our economy. Thanks but no thanks.

Maybe you'll have to just accept that the Netherlands' role in European energy production will always be minor and alternative energy making little difference in actual energy generation.

[The Lawspeaker]

Maybe you'll have to just accept that the Netherlands' role in European energy production will always be minor and alternative energy making little difference in actual energy generation.
Do me a favour and do yourself a favour and visit the Netherlands before you say that again. We have a great number of rivers, we have the straits in Zealand with dams and dikes. We have the barrier dam in the IJsselmeer, we have the North Sea (which are relatively shallow waters and we have some more gas in there as well) and we have a flat country with a lot of wind we have all the resources that we need. No.. we just are stuck in old ways.

[poiuytrewq0987]

Do me a favour and do yourself a favour and visit the Netherlands before you say that again. We have a great number of rivers, we have the straits in Zealand with dams and dikes. We have the barrier dam in the IJsselmeer, we have the North Sea (which are relatively shallow waters and we have some more gas in there as well) and we have a flat country with a lot of wind we have all the resources that we need. No.. we just are stuck in old ways.

Then it's just down to a matter of mutilating the countryside all in name of energy independence.

[The Lawspeaker]

Then it's just down to a matter of mutilating the countryside all in name of energy independence.
Clearly: give it a thought before you actually post on issues about my country. We would need a couple of big wind farms (which can be put out on the North Sea), solar panels (and decent insulation in all) on the houses where it is possible, one more nuclear reactor and some other additions that can be integrated in our dams.

[Albion]

No thanks. Why be dependent on others ? That's the stuff that causes wars. Look at America: so heavily dependent on oil that they would invade Hell for it.

Look at Europe: OPEC shut the tap on several countries, including the Netherlands, in 1973: it crashed our economy. Thanks but no thanks.

Agreed.

I'm starting to think the current renewable energy resources are a waste of time though.
In England if they are to generate even a quarter of our energy we'd have to have thousands of wind farms off the coast and in the hills and all these can pay for many nuclear power stations.

Nuclear fuel is very efficient and creates a large amount of electricity to a small proportion of fuel and no emission or pollution so long as the radioactive materials are stored correctly.

There is actually a way of generating nuclear power which doesn't require radioactive materials which is being tested in England. the UK and US have partnered on it, the technology works but isn't ready for power stations or wide scale usage yet.
If it can be adapted to power stations then it potentially means that we can have the efficiency of nuclear energy without all the dangerous radioactive materials!
The technology splits atoms in the air - no emissions, if we can perfect it then it means the world could potentially have a huge abundance of extremely cheap electricity!

But for the moment the plain old nuclear with radioactive fuels will have to do. It works well enough for France which is a energy exporter, apart from a few mishaps like the recent one.

The Netherlands could build a few nuclear power stations around the coast of Groningen and Friesland to supply a lot of the country.